Professional trail builder
to speak in Sisters page 9
Kiwanis work at
A Home to Share page 17
The Nugget
Vol. XXXVIII No. 15
Outlaws track team
finding its stride page 21
P OSTAL CUSTOMER
News and Opinion
from Sisters, Oregon
www.NuggetNews.com
The Sisters City Council
will have a vacant Council
seat beginning April 30, due
to the upcoming resigna-
tion of Councilor McKibben
Womack. Interested citizens
can apply for the vacated seat
by submitting an applica-
tion to City Recorder Kathy
Nelson by April 20.
Candidates must be a qual-
ified elector within the mean-
ing of the state constitution
and have resided within city
limits during the preceding
12 months. Applications may
be found on the home page
in the announcements section
of the City’s website at www.
ci.sisters.or.us or at the recep-
tion desk in City Hall, located
at 520 E. Cascade Ave.
Regular City Council
meetings are held the second
Wednesday, April 15, 2015
Mush Without Slush...
Citizens
can apply
for council
seat
City awards
reduced
urban
renewal
grants
By sue stafford
Correspondent
photo by Jim Cornelius
Mushers ran their dog teams on cinder roads near Zimmerman Butte west of sisters last weekend in an
annual dry land event. teams varied in size from nine dogs to a couple, pulling wheeled sleds and AtVs.
See CIty CouNCIL on page 31
Inside...
Sixteen of the 19 appli-
cations for urban-renewal
“small-project” grants were
approved at last Thursday’s
Urban Renewal Agency
Board meeting — but at
half of the amount sought
by applicants. Three projects
were deemed to not meet the
criteria set forth in the grant
guidelines.
Prior to the awarding of
the grants, there was discus-
sion by the board (composed
of the city council) regarding
the $1.25-million loan the
City of Sisters secured from
Bank of the Cascades to fund
See grANts on page 28
Sisters man dies in
motorcycle wreck
A 29-year-old Sisters
man is dead after he crashed
his motorcycle in Redmond
Sunday evening.
According to Deschutes
County Sheriff ’s Office
reports, Shemaiah Gillan died
at the scene of the accident on
Helmhotz Way near La Mesa
Lane.
The sheriff’s office reports
that Gillan was riding a dark-
colored 2006 Yamaha R-6,
600cc sport-bike. He was
south-bound on Helmholtz
and failed to negotiate a cor-
ner on Helmholtz between El
Camino Lane and La Mesa
Lane. Gillan was traveling
around a right-hand curve and
left the roadway on the left-
hand side, striking a tree and
PRE-SORTED STANDARD
ECRWSS
U.S. POSTAGE PAID
Sisters, OR
Permit No. 15
fence.
There were no other vehi-
cles involved. The weather
was clear and the pavement
was dry. Alcohol or drugs are
not believed to be a factor in
the accident. According to the
sheriff’s office, it appears that
excessive speed is a factor in
the fatal crash.
Gabriel Gillan remem-
bered his brother’s spirit: “He
loved adventures. He loved
Sisters,” Gabe said.
Shemaiah leaves a 3-year-
old child. A fund has been set
up through U.S. Bank under
the name Aubrey Pepperling
to help Shemaiah’s young
family. This is the Gillan
family’s preferred avenue for
assistance.
DLT acquires Whychus Creek property
The Deschutes Land Trust
has purchased 58 acres of
land along Whychus Creek
near Sisters.
The new Aspen Hollow
Preserve includes a half-mile
of creek frontage, unique
columnar cliffs, and pine and
aspen stands. The property is
home to a variety of wildlife
species including salmon and
steelhead, mule deer, rocky
mountain elk, golden eagles,
spotted bat and numerous
songbirds. The acquisition
was made possible by the
Land Trust’s Campaign for
Whychus Creek.
“Our purchase of Aspen
Hollow Preserve is a
great example of how the
Campaign for Whychus
Creek can help conserve the
best of Whychus Creek,”
said Executive Director Brad
photo by xxx
Deschutes Land trust acquired more critical creekside habitat in sisters
Country this month.
Chalfant. “Early donors
to the campaign provided
bridge funding for the proj-
ect while we worked with
other funders to secure final
purchase funds. The avail-
ability of this bridge funding
allowed us to move quickly
to secure the property when
the opportunity presented
itself. Going forward, we
expect the Campaign will
See property on page 29
Letters/Weather ................ 2 Business at Glance............. 7 Movies & Entertainment ....13 Sisters Naturalist ............. 23 Classifieds ..................25-28
Meetings ........................... 3 Announcements ................12 Obituaries ....................... 19 Crossword ....................... 24 Real Estate .................28-32